Product Description

It's 1947 Hollywood, and Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), a down-on-his-luck detective, is hired to find proof that Marvin Acme, gag factory mogul and owner of Toontown, is playing hanky-panky with femme fatale Jessica Rabbit, wife of Maroon Cartoon superstar Roger Rabbit. When Acme is found murdered, all fingers point to Roger, and the sinister, power-hungry Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) is on a mission to bring Roger to justice. Roger begs the Toon-hating Valiant to find the real evildoer and the plot thickens as Eddie uncovers scandal after scandal and realizes the very existence of Toontown is at stake! WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT is deliciously outrageous fun the whole family will enjoy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1336 in DVD
• Brand: HOSKINS,BOB
• Released on: 2003-03-25
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Live, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.com
This zany, eye-popping, knee-slapping landmark in combining animation with live-action ingeniously makes that uneasy combination itself (and the history of Hollywood) its subject. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is based on classic L.A. private-eye movies (and, specifically, Chinatown), with detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) investigating a case involving adultery, blackmail, murder, and a fiendish plot to replace Los Angeles's once-famous Red Car public transportation system with the automobiles and freeways that would later make it the nation's smog capital. Of course, his sleuthing takes him back to the place he dreads: Toontown, the ghetto for cartoons that abuts Hollywood and that was the site of a tragic incident in Eddie's past. In addition to intermingling cartoon characters with live actors and locations, Roger Rabbit also brings together the greatest array of cartoon stars in the history of motion pictures, from a variety of studios (Disney, Warner Bros., MGM, Fleischer, Universal, and elsewhere): Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Droopy Dog, and more! And, of course, there's Maroon Cartoon's greatest star, Roger Rabbit (voice by Charles Fleischer), who suspects his ultracurvaceous wife, Jessica Rabbit (voice by Kathleen Turner: "I'm not bad; I'm just drawn that way"), of infidelity. Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Contact), not since the early Looney Tunes' "You Oughtta Be in Pictures" has there been anything like Roger Rabbit. --Jim Emerson

DVD features
The handsome Vista Series double disc is set up exactly the way it should be. Disc 1, labeled "Family Friendly," contains a full screen version of the film, an enjoyable game, and a dandy 10-minute, over-easy look at the making of the film. Plus it includes all three Roger Rabbit shorts, which have been hard to find over the years. Disc 2, "Enthusiast," offers the widescreen version of the film, which can be viewed with on-screen facts (which obliterate much of the frame) and a lively commentary from director Robert Zemeckis along with the producers and writers. Like Zemeckis's DVD set of Back to the Future, the extras often repeat the same facts, especially the enormous scope of the project (it was done without computers, youngsters). Most intriguing is the making-of footage showing actors working with puppets or, more often, thin air. The new 35-minute documentary pulls everything together nicely, but an outside perspective would have been more intriguing. The film looks great but it's not a huge improvement over the initial 1999 DVD release (yet both are vastly better than anything shown on TV). --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

The best of both worlds; literally...
I have very fond memories of sneaking downstairs late at night as a young child and snuggling up with my big sisters on the couch to watch `Who Framed Roger Rabbit'. I was merely five or so at the time, but I can still remember it quite vividly. Each and every time I watch this wonderful movie I get that same sense of calming comfort that I had resting in their arms.

That's what movies are all about, right?

`Who Framed Roger Rabbit' was a total breakthrough at the time it was released, and it serves today as the foundation for the perfect family feature. The combination of live action and animation has been achieved since, and even before, but in my opinion it has never been achieved with this same sense of perfection.

`Who Framed Roger Rabbit' is unlike any movie you've ever seen.

The film tells the story of Eddie Valiant, a detective who abhors toons after one killed his brother. He used to be a defender of the toons, now he despises them. He's hired to follow around Jessica Rabbit, the wife of toon star Roger Rabbit. He uncovers a secret that may or may not have led Roger to kill a man. Roger of course claims innocence and pleads with Eddie to help him clear his name. Hiding from the sinister Judge Doom, Eddie and Roger embark on a perilous adventure to uncover the truth behind this grisly crime.

I adore Hoskins. He's just such a naturally charming acting, his gruff exterior included. He fits into this role so wonderfully, giving the right amount of feeling to his character in order to make him real and not a walking caricature. This could have been nothing more than a campy film, but it isn't campy at all. Christopher Lloyd is his usual zany self, and he fits the role beautifully. The voice work done (mostly by Charles Fleischer) is also spot on perfect.

`Who Framed Roger Rabbit' is the definition of a movie experience. It is smartly written film and it is masterfully directed by Robert Zemeckis who balances the dark live action underworld with the crisp animated world brilliantly. This film is deliciousness to the eyes, most definitely, but it never substitutes glamour for brains. The film never once insults our intelligence.

If you are looking for a film that will entertain you to the core, this is it.

Rabbit love.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a film I watched over and over again as a child. This film is somewhat dated now but Bob Hoskins is the crowd pleaser here. The voice of Jessica Rabbit is provided by '80s sex kitten Kathleen Turner, she turns up the heat for sure. I love the live action and animation, very clever film. Gotta check it out! Enjoy.

Great comic spin on crime movies and cartoons
This is a very inventive, technically brilliant cartoon. It has a lot of incredibly funny scenes and a great many superb comic in jokes.

For the time this was made, the special effects are stunning. This is a great piece of entertainment.